A loud crash forced me into a run.
I rounded the hedge, reassuring myself that the police were on the way.
Besides, even if Kelly was the killer, and had somehow obtained another knife, she’d have to get pretty close to someone to use it. Surely Ellen, with all her training, was too smart to allow that to happen.
The door to the carriage house was kicked in, which explained the sound I’d heard. Just inside I made out the silhouettes of two people.
Kelly stepped out into the light, and I realized what she held in her hand.
Not a knife this time. A gun. Pointed, not at me, but at the temple of a woman standing beside her.
“If you want your friend to survive this, you’d better get in here now,” she said.
I choked back my urge to scream. “The police are on their way.”
“So your neighbor told me. Which is why I am taking you both as hostages. My bargaining chips.” Kelly bared her white teeth in the semblance of a smile.
“This will not end well for you.” Ellen winced as Kelly popped her temple with the gun.
“Get inside, Charlotte,” Kelly commanded.
I could’ve made a break for it, but that would’ve left Ellen at the younger woman’s mercy. Sensing Kelly’s desperation, I wasn’t convinced she could be trusted not to shoot my friend.
You can do this, I told myself, as an image of Brent throwing his body against a door to save a roomful of children flashed through my mind. He’d probably been terrified too, with winds roaring like a freight train bearing down on him. But he’d done the right thing.
I could too. I curled my fingers, as if clasping an unseen hand, and followed Kelly and Ellen into the darkness.
Chapter Thirty-One
As my eyes adjusted to the dim light inside the carriage house, I noticed that Kelly’s other hand—the one not holding a gun—was trembling.
She isn’t as calm and in control as she’s trying to make us think. I slid closer to Ellen. I wanted to ask her if we should try to tackle Kelly, gun or no gun, but the quarters were too tight. Kelly would hear anything we said, even a whisper.
“You can’t believe you can get away with this,” I said, before Ellen grabbed my hand and squeezed it so hard that my eyes watered.
“All I need is an opportunity to reach theCelestial,” Kelly said. “Holding you two as hostages just might give me that chance.”
I wondered whether Todd Rowley was a willing accomplice to Kelly’s crimes. Perhaps he knew everything and would gladly ferry her away from facing the consequences of her actions. Although that would undoubtedly mean the collapse of his business empire.
“I’m sure you must have had an excellent reason to kill Lincoln Delamont,” Ellen said, her voice infused with a sympathy that made me shoot her a questioning glance.
Of course. She’s just trying to get in Kelly’s good graces. Establish a rapport that will humanize us, making Kelly less likely to shoot. Ellen knows what she’s doing—she was trained for situations like this.
I pressed my lips together to silence any further comments, realizing I should let the professional use her skills.
“I didn’t plan to do it. I didn’t set out to harm anyone.” Kelly turned to me. “And I didn’t want to hurt you the other night either. But I had to get away after I dropped off the knife.”
“And I suppose you just wanted to scare me when you chased me around Fort Macon?”
“Yes. I knew you were snooping around. Asking too many questions of people who’d been at the party. I was afraid you’d find out that someone had seen me doing something odd, like shoving my balled-up cloak, with the knife stuffed in the pocket, into the lilac bush.”
“Because they both had blood on them?” Ellen asked.
Kelly nodded. “I was able to collect the cloak, with the knife, before the police could find anything, and carry both off to theCelestial. That was one reason I begged Todd to move from Chapters to the yacht in such a rush. I knew I could weigh the cloak down and dump it in the ocean when we finally set sail. That way it would be gone for good. I didn’t think anyone noticed me stashing or grabbing the cloak. But when Charlotte was making it her business to talk to people who were at the party, I worried that someone had seen me, thought it odd, and might say something that would allow her to put the pieces together.”
“That wasn’t what did it,” I said.
“I realize that now, but at that point I just hoped maybe you’d back off if you were scared enough. I hoped dropping offthe knife at the murder scene would send the message that the killer was still in town, and having someone chase you might make you think twice about continuing to snoop around.”
